Ch. 9

In the evening they started their decorating for Halloween. They had fun and both of them had continued being relaxed around one another. Hermione stuck to her vision of big pumpkins in the great hall and Draco helped bring in the pumpkins and set them around the great hall.

She set a small pumpkin down where she wanted it, and turned to Draco. "Now, it's ready," she said as he cast the spell to make it grow. "Bigger…bigger…" she directed him.

He continued to aim at the pumpkin while he continued the spell.

"There!" she shouted.

The shout caused him to break contact with the spell and the pumpkin blew up. She was covered in gross orange muck from head to toe.

"Granger!" he said as he ran over next to her. "Let me help you," he took out his wand and tried to remove some of it, but it wasn't coming off easily.

Hermione was shocked at first, and then decided to get him back. As he was helping her, she aimed at a pumpkin and did a non-verbal spell, making a pumpkin so big that it exploded over both of them.

"Nice, really nice Granger," he said sarcastically as he slid his hand down his face and removed chunks, seeds and juice. She took a step toward him, laughing when she slipped on the floor and hit her head. She laid on the floor dazed for a moment. He had reached out but hadn't caught her in time.

"Granger, are you okay?" he asked as he reached out his hand for her. She put her hand in his but couldn't pull herself up, she was still really dizzy. She didn't seem like her usual self. "Hermione?" He tried to tug up on her hand, but their hands were covered in pumpkin and very slippery. He began to use his magic to clean them and the area as best he could and then did a spell that mopped up all the juice. The hall looked pretty good, but they still had remnants of dried pumpkin juice all over them.

Since Hermione wasn't able to get up and stand, he knelt down next to her and stood her up, holding her mid section to stabilize her and stood up again. "I think you might need to go to the hospital wing…" he tried to slowly release his grip to test if she could stand and she threw her arms around his neck, trying not to fall, when he put his hands back on her waist. He felt a little too close for comfort, but she was hurt, it couldn't be helped. Still, there was something he liked about the closeness.

"Give me just a minute Draco," she said in a weak voice as she let go of one of her arms around his neck. She felt the back of her head and then looked at her hand, she was bleeding.

"You're bleeding!" he held her wrist as they both looked at her bloody hand.

"I think I'm okay," she said in a voice not like herself.

He kept holding her and bent around to look at the back of her head, it had a gash and her hair was starting to get more blood in it. "She might even have a concussion," he thought. Just then Hermione laid her head down on his shoulder and put her hand back up on his neck.

He looked at her and noticed she hadn't closed her eyes or fallen asleep. She had a peaceful look in her eyes. He had to find a way to pick her up so he could get her to the hospital wing, most likely she wasn't going to be able to walk there. "Granger, I'm going to pick you up," he announced to her.

She looked up into his face and just looked at him serenely and blinked a few times.

"What?" he said as he looked down at her.

"I like this…" she said with a light smile as she lowered her head back down to his chest. His breath caught in his throat for minute as he considered the look in her eyes. He could feel her breathing changing into deeper longer breaths and knew he would have to get going.

He quickly turned and braced her back against his arm and put his other arm underneath her legs and lifted. She was relatively light and he realized how small she was. She was still looking up at him.

"Remember when you used to call me mud blood?" She asked sweetly.

He didn't want to have this conversation and wasn't sure why she would be bringing it up now.

"Filthy mud blood, wretched mud blood, friend of a blood traitor mud blood…" she listed

"Okay, yes, I remember!" he wanted her to stop. He was walking briskly.

"And now," she started laughing, "and now you're my friend, I guess the joke's on you…"

"Hermione, now's hardly a time for laughing!" he reproached her severely.

She waited a moment and laughed again. He looked at her with scared and angry eyes.

"Draco, she reached up a hand and rested it on his face, don't be worried," she whispered to him. Her touch comforted him again.

He made it through the corridor and into the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey came running out.

"My dear, what happened," she looked Hermione over and noticed her hand on Professor Malfoy's face and the intent look in her eyes. "My, she's not well, is she?" Hermione's feelings for Draco Malfoy were well known when she was a student.

"She's bleeding, we were making pumpkins explode when she slipped and hit her head." He tried to explain, but realized how stupid it probably sounded.

Madame Pomfrey gave him a questionable look, then decided she believed him and softened her expression. "Good you brought her here right away, she has a concussion and a bad one by the looks of it. You're free to go if you would like."

He waited a moment before looking up at her. "I'd like to stay for a little bit if that's okay, just until she falls asleep. I'll keep out of the way."

She considered this for a moment too and then agreed. "Just keep your voice down and let her get her rest."

He sat next to Hermione as she laid in bed. She started to complain of pain in her body and he went to get Madame Pomfrey again. She gave her a few pills for pain. "This might be all she needs to fall asleep," she told Malfoy.

Hermione sat there in silence and then after a while when she had just drifted off he got up.

"Draco," Hermione reached out for him. Madame Pomfrey had just come back to check on Hermione and heard her utter his name.

"Must have hit her head really hard…" she remarked. As Draco glared at her she apologized. "Excuse me," she said as she left them alone again.

He hesitated but took her hand in his. "I'm still here," he tried to reassure her, but he hated seeing her that way. Hated that she brought up how terrible he used to be, and hated that he couldn't do anything to make her better. He started to feel awkward when he realized he liked the way her hand felt in his.

"Good," she sighed and she drifted off peacefully again. After a few minutes he picked up his hand from hers and left the hospital wing.

He paced up and down the corridor to the hospital wing and didn't feel remotely tired enough to go to his quarters and sleep. He decided he would notify the headmistress about Hermione's accident.

He walked to her office and as he did he whispered the password to make the stone gargoyle jump aside. He wound the spiral staircase and knocked on her door.

"Come in," she replied.

"Professor Malfoy, what do I owe the honor at this late hour?" It wasn't a rebuke, just surprise.

"Gran…Professor Granger was injured tonight when we were decorating. She slipped and hit her head and has a concussion. She's in the hospital wing now. She probably won't be well enough to give her lessons for a few days…"

"Draco, what did Poppy say when she saw her?"

"That she must have hit her head pretty hard," he replied.

"How did she act after the incident?" she pressed. He didn't want to speak to how she held onto him and how he held her.

"She wasn't steady, I had to carry her to the hospital wing." His eyes were getting the scared look in them again. He wanted to go back to make sure she was still asleep. He tried to tell himself how foolish that was.

The look on his face didn't escape the headmistress, but before she could ask him anything he asked to be excused.

"Certainly, thanks for the report." She curtly nodded at him.

He left the spiral stair case and was headed for his quarters when he passed the great hall. Just a half hour ago they were having fun in here. He went inside and picked up one of the small pumpkins when he got an idea. He couldn't sleep anyways, as long as he was up he might as well do some decorating. He lined up the pumpkins and finished growing them larger and larger until they were giant and behind the staff table. Then he went around the rest of the hall and made groups of candles and small pumpkins float around the hall. "When she sees this, she's going to love it," he thought.

He went back to the hospital wing and entered so quietly that Madame Pomfrey didn't even see him come in. She was sleeping peacefully. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep so he quietly took the seat next to her. He sat down and next thing he knew he was holding her hand again and it was morning, the sun's rays were beating down on his face.

He awoke and looked over at Hermione who was still fast asleep. He noticed he was holding her hand and instantly let go.

He didn't know what time it was, but knew he needed to get ready for his lessons for the day. He walked down to his quarters quickly for a change of clothes and to freshen up, and then headed out the door.

At the lessons he was a little distracted so he gave students the task of brewing potions from the book and was free to walk around to give minimal instruction as needed.

Some of the students were rowdy at having a lesson canceled for the day. He overheard a student talking as he passed by. "I hope she stays in the hospital wing for another week, then we can have more days free!"

Before he could think he turned around and faced the student with a dangerous look on his face. "Get out of my class!" He yelled at him. "Go to the headmistress, now!" he yelled as the student didn't move, but stared at him in disbelief. The student was shocked because in the two years that Professor Malfoy had been his potions teacher, he had never seen him yell, or heard of him kicking a student out of class.

After lessons were over for the day, he told Mr. Bones that his detentions were at an end and to watch his mouth from now on. Then he headed up to see Hermione in the hospital wing.

On his way, he ran into the headmistress. "Hi Professor," he said as he walked passed her.

"A word professor?" she asked.

He stopped and walked back and few paces to face her.

"I had a visit from a student today. Although what he said was disrespectful, I didn't see it necessary to send him to my office. Surely you could have just given him detention?"

Detention…he hadn't thought of that in the moment. "Yes professor," he agreed.

"Are you going to the hospital wing?" she asked him, seeing he was not interested in their conversation.

"Yes, headed there now."

"Good, I think she'll be released tomorrow morning, but she'll need someone to look after her. I was going to ask" she was trying to say when he cut her off.

"I'm free tomorrow," he offered before she could finish. It would be a weekend so lessons wouldn't need to be covered.

She gave him a deep stare and he saw her features soften as she patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you Draco." He made a mental note to tell Hermione that he finally saw what she was talking about as far as McGonigal softening.

He nodded and set out at a walk again to go visit.